Page 524

524.1 vain, vane, vein

Vain means “worthless” or “conceited.” A vane is a flat piece of material that shows the direction of the wind. A vein is a blood vessel or a mineral deposit.

The prospector made a final vain attempt to unearth a vein of silver.

Our weather vane kept spinning in the wild storm.

524.2 vary, very

Vary is a verb that means “to change.”

The weather can vary from snow to sleet to sunshine in a single day.

Very is an adjective that means “in the fullest sense” or “complete.”

Garon’s story was the very opposite of what we expected.

Very is also an adverb that means “extremely.”

The story was very chilling.